Wednesday 29 October 2014

Book ~ "Blond Cargo" (2014) John Lansing

From Goodreads ~ Jack’s son, Chris, was the victim of a brutal murder attempt and Vincent Cardona, a mafia boss, provided information that helped Jack take down the perpetrator of the crime. Jack accepted the favor knowing there’d be blowback.

In “Blond Cargo,” the mobster’s daughter has gone missing and Cardona turned in his chit. Jack discovers that the young, blond, mafia princess has been kidnapped and imprisoned while rich, politically connected men negotiate her value as a sex slave.

Jack, a former cop, is now a private detective.  Vincent Cardona, a mafia boss, helped Jack out when his son, Chris, was hit by a car and now Vincent is calling in the debt.  His daughter, Angelica, has disappeared and Vincent wants Jack to find her.  Two other women who resemble Angelica have turned up dead and Jack hopes he can find Angelica before she ends up with the same fate.  As Jack investigates, he suspects she may have been been kidnapped to be sold as a sex slave and everyone from the mayor, a cardinal, a land developer and a shah may be involved.

In the meantime in his personal life, he is having problems with his girlfriend, Leslie, and he is concerned about his son, Chris.

This is the second book I've read by this author ... it is the second in the Jack Bertolino series (I'd read the first one last year).  You don't have to have read the first one to read this one as it works well as a standalone.

It was an interesting story.  Though I liked the the writing style, I thought it could have been a bit tighter.  There was lots of action and never a dull moment.  It is written in third person, with the focus shifting depending on what was going on.  As a head's up, there is swearing and adult situations.

I liked Jack ... he was a good guy.  I found that there were a lot of characters, though.  I had a hard time keeping them straight sometimes.

2 comments:

Omnimystery News said...

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on this 2nd in series crime novel. Sounds like an exciting read!

John Lansing said...

Thanks for hosting me on your wonderful blog, Tina, and especially for taking the time to write a review. It's greatly appreciated. And I love Toronto. All the best, John